St. Louis Business Journal articles from June 1995

St. Louis Business Journal archives from June 1995

Big Apple firm buys Mark Andy. (Dover Corp.; Mark Andy Inc.)
June 5, 1995... Dover adds printing-press maker to $3 billion stable Mark Andrews Jr. has a new boss at Mark Andy Inc., a Chesterfield manufacturing firm his father started 49 years ago. Last month, the Andrews family sold the firm with 1994 sales of $65...

Sugar factory builder chases Vietnam work. (Fulton Ferracute Industries International Inc.)
June 5, 1995... Fulton Ferracute part of $56 million deal In the cutthroat world of international business, what separates the victorious from the defeated is often little more than pocket change. Ramon Marin knows. After months of work preparing a...

Seven executives jump from GenCare; some go to GHP. (Gencare Health Systems Inc.; General Health Plan Inc.)
June 5, 1995... Seven key executives are among more than 20 people who have resigned within the past two weeks from GenCare Health Systems Inc./Physicians Health Plan of Greater St. Louis Inc. The resignations follow the decision of Michael Neidorff, former...

Sheridan plans $6 million rehab for Executive Building. (Sheridan Group Ltd; Executive Office Building, St. Louis, MO)
June 5, 1995... The new owner of the Executive Office Building plans to spend nearly $6 million to give the structure a face lift and for other interior improvements. The Sheridan Group, a Denver-based real estate firm, purchased the 20-story building in...

Ross & Baruzzini launches electric power systems firm. (Ross Power Systems Inc.)
June 5, 1995... Ross & Baruzzini, an engineering firm recognized for its airport security systems, has started a new company specializing in electrical power systems for manufacturers. The company, Ross Power Systems Inc., which began operations June 1, is...

It's business as usual for Alton Belle, others despite flood. (riverboat casino in Alton, MO)
June 5, 1995... When floodwaters started eating away at the shores lining the Alton riverfront, downtown business owners braced for the worse. But so far, only two downtown Alton businesses - the historic Franklin House and the Prairie Peddlers antique shop...

Broader brush. (Kodner Gallery of the Masters and Rare Art, Ladue, MO)
June 5, 1995... Kodner Gallery to expand in 'hot' art market Business Activity: Kodner Gallery of the Masters and Rare Art buys and sells works of established and well-known artists. It has 300 to 400 paintings in five display rooms in its Ladue location and...

Reinsurance Group of America Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
June 5, 1995... A. Greig Woodring President and chief executive officer Reinsurance Group of America, through its subsidiaries, RGA Reinsurance Co. and General American Life Reinsurance Co. of Canada, is the second largest provider of life reinsurance in North...

A-B brews $135 million revamp. (Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.)
June 12, 1995... Anheuser-Busch Cos. is spending about $135 million to put in new equipment and expand its brewery here. The company is installing new beer filtering units and storage tanks, people familiar with the project said. The brewery tore down five old...

Big-league connections gave Levys start. (restaurateurs Mark and Larry Levy)
June 12, 1995... Mom helps a little When Mark and Larry Levy opened a Chicago delicatessen in 1978, they persuaded their mother to move from St. Louis to the Windy City to help them run it. "Our father was in Chicago and in poor health so we talked our...

Boy Scouts deal gives them leg up in United Way.
June 12, 1995... The Boy Scouts are in a league of their own when it comes to the United Way. A little-publicized contractual agreement signed just prior to last year's United Way campaign allows the Boy Scouts Council of Greater St. Louis to bypass the...

Documents shed light on past of charity exec. (Allene Lichtenstein)
June 12, 1995... Ten years after divorcing pipefitter Marco Vainiko, foundation executive Allene "Ellie" Lichtenstein decided to remarry him. Vainiko was extremely ill Feb. 16, 1988, the day he and Ellie signed their second marriage certificate. The next day,...

Designers beef up building security to reduce threats.(Security: ProtectingPeople and Property)
June 12, 1995... SECURITY: Protecting People and Property Could the April 19 blast that ripped the face off the federal office building in Oklahoma City happen at a St. Louis office building? Probably, say area building owners and designers. The blast...

Biggs hopes to draw wealthy to Boatmen's Trust program. (John B. Biggs Jr.)
June 12, 1995... John B. "Jack" Biggs Jr., former president of Brown Shoe Co., has been named to head up Boatmen's Trust Co.'s newly created $5 billion investment and wealth-management program for rich individuals. Boatmen's Trust, a subsidiary of Boatmen's...

3 years, $270,000 in credits later, building still vacant. (901 Washington building in St. Louis, Missouri)
June 12, 1995... Three years ago, the Technical Assistance Corp. promised to turn six floors of the former Bank of St. Louis building at 901 Washington Ave. into residential lofts and commercial space. In exchange, the nonprofit corporation received $270,000 in...

Crime drops downtown; tourists a primary target.(Security: Protecting People and Property)
June 12, 1995... St. Louis' downtown neighborhood - where office workers and tourists outnumber actual residents by the thousands - saw a reduction in robberies, burglaries and auto thefts last year. Bounded by Tucker Boulevard on the west and Mississippi River...

Sloppy Joe's cooking up a deal at Laclede's Landing.
June 12, 1995... At Laclede's Landing, the foreclosure cycle on buildings in the riverfront area is nearing completion. A victim of the commercial real estate recession of the late 1980s, the riverfront hub of entertainment, restaurants and office space is now...

Bull Moose among firms making charge in Germany. (Bull Moose Tube Co.)
June 12, 1995... With the completion of German reunification and the strengthening of the German mark against the dollar, some St. Louis companies are profiting through German investments. "We've noticed a surge in orders recently," said Eric Anderson,...

Special School budget cuts 50 jobs, freezes teacher pay. (St. Louis County Special School District)
June 12, 1995... The Special School District administration is proposing a budget that will shave $800,000 off expenses, primarily by eliminating about 40 union jobs, 10 administrators and freezing teacher salaries. Ronald Rebore, superintendent of the district...

Lending a hand: finance firm finds niche backing alarm dealers. (Security Leasing Partners)(Company Profile) (Company Profile)
June 12, 1995... Security Leasing Partners 712 N. Second St. St. Louis, Mo. 63102 Business Activity: Security Leasing Partners is a finance company lending to dealers of security alarms for residential and commercial use. Security Leasing's customers typically...

Business transfers in estates top list of tax proposals. (White House Conference on Small Business)
June 12, 1995... A group of delegates representing small-business owners in Missouri and central and southern Illinois are gearing up for the White House Conference on Small Business. And taxes are at the top of the agenda. The bi-state delegation, which is...

Monsanto ag president hot on stock; Fraley sees spurt in next 12 months. (Monsanto Co.; Robb Fraley of Ceregen)
June 19, 1995... The president of Monsanto's new agriculture products unit has endorsed a local investment report that predicts the company's stock will hit $110 a share in the next 12 months. Wednesday, the stock closed at $89.125 after hitting $90.75 a day...

As hospitals collide, who will come out ahead?(Industry Overview)
June 19, 1995... With more than 70% of area hospitals aligned with three major systems, the battle is now under way for market dominance. Although BJC Health System leads in total patient days of care and in occupancy rates, other factors, including...

Home Depot scouts out 6 sites; home center firm plots area invasion.
June 19, 1995... Home Depot, the largest home center retailer in the country with annual sales ors 12.2 billion, is entering St. Louis with plans for stores at six locations, according to area real estate brokers. "What Home Depot is going to do is bring sharp...

Ideas abound for reviving St. Louis Centre.
June 19, 1995... Hotel at Dillard's site? Ten years after the opening of St. Louis Centre, speculation abounds about the future of the troubled downtown mall. The mayor's office is meeting with owners of St. Louis Centre later this month to discuss...

Lichtenstein offers grant despite freeze. (Lichtenstein Foundation)
June 19, 1995... Despite a freeze on its assets by the Missouri attorney general, the Lichtenstein Foundation is trying to give a $50,000 grant to a physician at St. Louis University. A spokesman for the attorney general's office said the grant was...

Andersen on way to 'record year;' price growing at 25% annually. (Andersen Consulting)(Management Consulting)
June 19, 1995... Most of the accounting firms here have consultants ready to help with everything from implementing a new computer system to the psychology of an aging father leaving his business to his children. And one thing they all seem to agree on is the...

Director pensions come under fire from shareholders.(Management Consulting)
June 19, 1995... Howard Witsma is hardly a household name. But Witsma is a well-known thorn in the side of public companies here that dole out pensions to directors on their boards. "I'm not opposed to them getting paid. What I object to is pensioning them...

Enterprise Zone uses tax credits to lure companies.
June 19, 1995... When Bulk Haulers Inc. owner John McHugh was greeted with the sobering news that the south St. Louis block where his business was located had been bought and his company would have to move, he stumbled over to the St. Louis Development Corp. for...

Outsider helps family-owned Dierbergs with succession.(Management Consulting)
June 19, 1995... Management at small and mid-sized companies is difficult enough. But when the business is family owned, management can become much more complicated, experts say. The Dierberg family was faced with a difficult problem in 1993, when it had to...

EEOC to turn to mediation to ease backlog claims. (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)(Management Consulting)
June 19, 1995... A new program for resolution of job-discrimination complaints against employers could save time and money, says a local employee-benefits attorney. But the system potentially could create uncertainty among workers not sure how their case will be...

At your service: HomeWorks Group tackles honey-do lists.(Small Business)(Company Profile)
June 19, 1995... HomeWorks Group Inc. 11780 Manchester Road, Suite 205 Des Peres, Mo. 63131 Business Activity: The HomeWorks Group is a home service firm specializing in home repair, remodeling and house cleaning services. The company provides services to...

Zeigler Coal Holding Co. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
June 19, 1995... Chand B. Vyas President sad chief executive officer Zeigler Coal Holding Co. is one of the nation's largest producers of coal. The company, created through a leveraged buyout in 1985 from Houston Natural Gas, made an initial public offering of...

Area firms favor pending changes in export regulations.
June 19, 1995... For the first time in 40 years, the federal Bureau of Export Administration is planning sweeping regulatory changes aimed at increasing the ease with which small- and medium-sized exporters do business. Among the key changes being proposed:...

Novelly to nab $29 million in bank deal. (Novelly family's earnings from the planned sale of its Capital Bancorp shares)
June 26, 1995... Bank bucks Several Capital Bancorp. insiders will be seeing green after the bank's buyout with Union Planters Corp. of Memphis. At current prices the buyout is valued at $114 million. Value...

Charter in bid for KSDK parent. (Charter Communications Inc.'s planned purchase of Multimedia Inc.'s cable operations)
June 26, 1995... Babcock tracks 125 cable units Charter Communications is bidding for the cable operations of media giant Multimedia Inc., a move that would increase Charter's size by more than 50%. St. Louis-based Charter is part of a group bidding an...

Flying on wing and a prayer, TWA relishes Pope John Paul's patronage. (Trans World Airlines Inc. to fly Pope John Paul II to the US in fall 1995)
June 26, 1995... When the Vatican chose ailing Trans World Airlines to fly Pope John Paul II during his visit to the United States this fall, airline chiefs hesitated to use the phrase "divine intervention." But they thought it. While the language...

No surprise, tourism ads stay with Wiethaupt. (advertising executive Warren Wiethaupt's acquisition of the Missouri tourism account)
June 26, 1995... Local advertising executive Warren Wiethaupt is proving once again he has nine lives when it comes to the Missouri tourism account. Wiethaupt landed with the $5.7 million state ad account at Muller+Co in Kansas City. With the Muller award,...

Takeover talk propels Mercantile stock amid heavy trading. (Mercantile Bancorp Inc.)
June 26, 1995... Mercantile Bancorp.'s stock soared more than 8% in the past two weeks on heavy trading. For the past several weeks, rumors have been flying about out-of-state super-regional banks targeting the area's second-largest bank company as their best...

Fugro, other businesses soar on clean-air compliance. (Fugro Midwest Inc.; profitability of environmental consulting firms)(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... Environmental consulting companies here are cleaning up on the Clean Air Act amendments of 1990. Fugro Midwest Inc., a division of international consulting firm Fugro-McClelland, has seen its air-quality consulting practice jump 30% since 1992...

Illinois companies seek access to cheaper power.(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... If 32 Illinois industrial companies have their way, changes will be made to state laws that could allow them to buy electricity out of state within two years. Under current federal regulations, municipalities are allowed to buy energy from...

Page plan moves forward amid wetlands bill debate. (expansion of Page Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri despite a proposed bill on wetlands regulation)(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... A U.S. House bill to ease restrictions on wetlands regulation has prompted a new round of debate between environmentalists, business groups and property owners. Critics of a controversial bill being sponsored by Rep. Bud Schuster, R - Pa., say...

Almost full. (landfill capacity in St. Louis County, Missouri)(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... As landfills near capacity, recycling, expansion pushed as alternatives Landfills in St. Louis County have about eight years before they are filled to capacity. Although building new sites is cost-prohibitive, recycling and expansion of...

UE helps Carondelet foundry save $160,000 on power bill. (Union Electric Co.; Carondelet Corp.)(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... Union Electric Co. is helping businesses save money on what they pay for electricity under an economic development program that last year helped one company - a foundry - save about $160,000. The foundry, Carondelet Corp., installed a more...

$30 million garage key in casino deal. (negotiations for a planned parking garage near Laclede's Landing in St. Louis, Missouri)
June 26, 1995... The financing of a planned $30 million state-of-the-art parking facility near Laclede's Landing and the new domed stadium has been the key negotiating point between the city and a downtown casino developer, say people close to the talks. City...

Warm winter shows effect on Laclede, UE earnings. (impact of the warm winter in St. Louis, Missouri on the earnings of Laclede Gas Co. and Union Electric Co.)(Energy and the Environment)
June 26, 1995... The St. Louis area's unusually warm winter was a blow to Laclede Gas Co.'s revenue and earnings. But Union Electric Co. wasn't affected as much. Laclede's earnings for the quarter that ended March 31 were $1.15 per share, compared with $1.19...

Queen looks to beat Landing developer on expansion. (planned development of the Casino Queen complex in East St. Louis, Illinois)
June 26, 1995... Possibilities include hotel, entertainment center barge A major expansion of the Casino Queen complex in East St. Louis is in the works as its owners try to beat a Laclede's Landing casino developer to the punch. Charles W. Bidwill III, one...

Shanahan upset most by way his ouster was handled. (former St. Louis Blues hockey club Chairman Mike Shanahan)
June 26, 1995... Mike Shanahan isn't upset at his unplanned departure from the St. Louis Blues hockey club, but he is upset by the way his ouster was handled. "I fully intended to be out in 1994," Shanahan said. "I was offered a three-year deal. I asked for a...

Cardinal Glennon studies moving more services to suburbs. (Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri)
June 26, 1995... Administrators at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital are studying their options - including shifting more services to suburban hospitals - to remain a viable health-care provider. "There are lots of rumors going around that Cardinal Glennon...

Warming up. (profile of heating and air conditioning contractor Welsch Heating & Cooling)(Company Profile)
June 26, 1995... Maintenance fuels sales growth at Welsch Welsch Heating & Cooling 2175 Welsch Industrial Court Maryland Heights, Mo. 63146 Business Activity: Welsch is a heating and air conditioning contractor, providing service to both the residential and...